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Apricot Almond Tart - Tarte Abricots Amandes

May 28, 2010

I have started this post about five or six times and erased them all. I have no idea how emotional I am going to get writing this but here goes. There would not be an Apricot and Almond Tart in my life without my grandmother, Mamie Paulette. There would not be a lot of things in the way I work, live, eat and breathe without my grandmother (beside the obvious being born thing). She did not teach me how to cook or bake but she certainly gave me the basics of what restaurant kitchens would finess years later.

I have talked about her and my grandfather many times before. My grandparents were married 71 years before my grandmother passed away and would have celebrated their 76th anniversary this year. They are truly the glue to our whole family. As my grandfather reaches 100 years old this year, I feel the glue getting more fragile than ever. It's just good old (and stupid) family dynamics but remembering my grandparents through writing and posts is my way of keeping things together in my mind.

Nearly every Sunday, you can bet that there was family visiting, an unplanned lunch and table setting growing by the minute, followed by an afternoon watching the French tennis open, a soccer game or a Formula 1 race. Mamie Paulette loved to get people together and just visit, chill, laugh and have a good time. I inherited that trait from her by doing the same thing here with our friends here. And just like my grandmother I don't really care about how crazy the day can be or how much it can rain as long as there is a ray of sunshine.

I know she would have loved it here.

When friends of ours living on an island nearby stopped by the house with a couple of handfuls of perfectly ripe and juicy apricots, I knew exactly what would become of their fate. The first apricot almond tart of the season! One we could all share together around a tall glass of iced tea, complaining talking about our families.

There is nothing complicated or fancy about this tart. A simple crust filled with an almond cream and topped with deliciously ripe apricots. A drizzle of honey, some time in the oven, a couple of friends and you'll want to make the hours slow down for a long while. What I love about it is that any stone fruit will work perfectly well with it and you will still get the same tingle down your toes as you bite into it. Plums, peaches, mirabelles, nectarines, etc...

Come to think of it, any fruit will work with this tart! More reasons to make it throughout the year and gather friends and family on a sunny afternoon.

Apricot and Almond Tart:

Serves 6 to 8

Notes: if you are not baking gluten free, replace the rice, millet, sorghum flours and cornstarch with 1.5 cups of all purpose flour and omit the xanthan gum.

Prepare the crust:In a mixer, whip the butter on medium speed until light and airy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time and beating well after each addition. Mix until incorporated. Add the salt, and all the different flours, and the xantham gum and mix briefly. Add some water, one tablespoon at a time if the dough feels too dry. Dump the whole mixture onto a lightly floured (use more rice flour) board and gather the dough into a smooth ball. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.Preheat oven to 350F and position a rack in the center.When the dough is nice and cold, roll it out on a lightly floured board or in between two sheets of plastic to fit your prefered pie pan. If the dough tears while you roll or/and transfer into the pan, just patch it with your fingertips. Line the dough with a piece of parchment paper, fill with pie weights or dy beans and par bake for 10-15 minutes until almost completely baked. Remove the weights and parchment paper. At this point you can refrigerate the baked crust for up to 3 days before using.

Prepare the almond filling:Place the butter, honey, ground almonds, and the eggs in a large bowl and whisk until smooth (can also be done in a food processor). Add the cream but stir in it instead of whisking not to emulsify it or it will rise while baking.Arrange the apricots halves at the bottom of the pie crust and pour the cream over them. Bake 25-30 minutes at 350F. Drizzle with a bit of extra honey if desired when still warm.

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comments:

That last picture just warms my heart. Incredible that your grandfather is almost reaching 100. I, too was so formed and shaped by my grandmothers. I can rarely write a post without the tears welling up - I learned so much more from them than just baking or cooking. I lost both of my grandmothers in the last 12 months, 1 suddenly and 1 expected. I don't know which is better, knowing they are going and getting to say goodbye? Or not having to experience the suffering with them? Either way, I am so thankful for the memories. Sounds like you have some beautiful ones, too.

Thank you for such a beautiful and touching post. I am also extremely close with my grandmother and feel truly blessed to still have her in my life. I will most definitely be making this tart very soon - maybe I'll bake it for my grandmother the next time I visit.

uh oh. the more gf beauties you post, the more pressure i feel that i need to make one for andrew as soon as he's done with paleo diet. (for now, i'm safe - he's on thru november!)

that picture is precious and the relationship they had still endures - in the relationship of your parents, and the relationship you have with B. grandmas are priceless. i'm glad you had her for as long as you did. xo

Thank you for taking me back to those days of granparent blessings. Now I know what I'll do with the last of the peaches in the freezer, saved from last summer. I think they'll be delicious in this tart.

Oh Helen, a lovely post indeed. Grandmothers have such an influence, I believe their contribution to our lives is far underestimated. I am glad you have put this post to print and allowed us to share in those sweet memories.

I'm going to make that tart soon, as we've found some lovely apricots here.

What a lovely tribute to your grandparents. It sounds as you are doing a wonderful job of keeping your grandmother's memory alive by living the way that she did. Food, family, friends - is there anything that can top this list?

Helen, what a beautiful post and what breathtaking photos! I know how you feel about your grandmother, I know it exactly. I'm very lucky to still have mine with me. Grandmothers are something indescribable, aren't they? Mine doesn't teach me to cook because "while I'm here, what do you need to know how to cook for?!" :) We don't even think of the other possibility.

I wish I could have learned all my grandma's honed cooking tips/secrets over the years but we live so far apart... I have only ever visited her 2 times in my life. She's a stranger to me but I know how much she loves us anyway. It's touching. Grandparents are the best. I love this post of yours.

The cake looks divine! I hope I have a chance to try it out in late summer, at this moment we have no apricots here. But the last photo is a real artpiece, there is so much in this one photo. You could just keep looking at it!

I have such fond memories of my grandmother as well, and I can relate to how hard a post is to write when a certain meal or dessert was once something shared with them. This tart looks amazing and although I'm not on a gluten free diet, I really want to try it just as you've written.

Ok, Helen...you made me cry. The photo of your grandparents, is so touching and utterly beautiful! One can feel the love that spills forth from them!Oh, yes, and the tart looks fabulous. My son saw it and said, 'that looks tasty, mama!' Thanks for sharing such personal and heartfelt memories with us!

Helene, you touched a cord in me. I so relate. My Mémé was so dear to me. She passed in 2008 and not a day goes by where I don't remember her. She was a lady, a great cook and her cakes were divine. She inspired me in every way possible. Elle me manque tant. She had a notebook with tons or recipes from her mother, from friends and any she could gather. I would like to gather theses recipes in a book, but my sadness is so strong that I can't open the notebook without crying or just staring. I wish I will be soon strong enough to write the book. Her book. :)Tell us more about your Mamie, Helene.

What a beautiful tribute to your grandparents. I am truely touched. I didn't know mine as my parents came to Australia leaving all the family behind. But I have been fortuate to know and love my husband's grandmother who is 97. What a gift we all have in grandparents!BTW this tart is perfect because only yesterday I bought that particular baking tin. Thank you in more ways than one!

I love your blog, I have been a follower for a while and was very touched to read this blog about your grandparents.Your styling and photos are always so mouthwatering I feel as if I have been tasting your goodies!It a shame I am in the UK I would love to go to one of your tutourials, I recently posted a recipe inspired by my Grandad 'Syd' from Lancashire, not as glamourous as your French family and I can only dream of taking photos like you. But it would be an easy recipe to change to gluten-free maybe.http://amelieshouse.blogspot.com/2010/05/syd-special.htmlAnyway at the risk of sounding like a crazy person really love your blog!

Helen, this makes me miss my grandmothers. They were both very important to me in different ways. My grandfather too. I don't know how I would have gotten by without them. It's nice to be reminded of them.

I really want to express my appreciation for a recipe that features both stone fruits and almonds, but mostly for a recipe that is free of refined sugar! I often make an almond and blueberry tart for my husband (who is sugar-free) using maple, but this looks so good I'll have to try it immediately. Thanks!

How amazing the your grandfather is reaching 100 yrs. I really hope all is well. This post made me think of my own grandparents and of the wonderful times we all spent together. Al of my grandparents have passed away now but their presence and memories remain in our family.

What beautiful memories of your grandmother. I know she would be so proud of you and the gifted woman that you are. I pray that you and your grandfather may have some special moments together before his time comes and that he may have a taste of this delectable tart so he too may conjure up sweet memories of his beautiful Mamie.

Those of us whose grandparents figured in lives largely are indeed lucky.I have similar meories of my maternal grand parents and my grandmother was a wonderful cook. She could feed an army at the drop of a hat without getting stressed out with whatever she had on hand.

A really lovely, touching tribute to your grandmother, Helene! I think I can relate to what you mean about the glue getting weaker - as first my grandmother, and then my grandfather passed away, we felt the glue holding our extended family close starting to break. Good old (and stupid) family dynamics have made it tough for us to keep alive the ties that seemed so easy when my Nanny and Putt-Putt were here. It sounds like you're doing a great job keeping alive the traditions of your Mamie!

I think I can understand what you were going through while drafting the post. Very emotional, touching and memories came a-flooding right?

Whenever I think of my grandma (who's still healthy and cook for us periodically), I would be thinking of stinkbeans (petai) cooked with sambal belacan (pungent, spicy chili paste with fermented shrimp).

Too funny! I was just coming to your site to search the archives for an apricot tart. We were given lots of apricots this week. I made this tart last night (minus the almonds, as I was out of them) and it was a big hit. I'll b making it again this week, and next week, too, when the apricots on my tree ripen! Thanks Helene!

So inspiring! I have gotten back into baking because of you and I find that it really brings my friends and family together. I hope that my grandchildren will have memories like yours when they are younger.

Food memories are so powerful - when you eat a dish that your mother always served you prepared in someone else's style, it is just never as good.

Which reminds me, I have made your rhubarb tart with cardamom (I believe that is also inspired by your grandmother) several times when visiting friends this month, and everyone adored it. What a lovely, simple custard.

I am so happy to have been led to your blog. We lived in Charleston for many years where I directed and taught at a cooking school. We now live in the Chicago area. We had our last "authentic" Napoleon in Charleston and long to have it again. Alas, with all the wonderful restaurants and bakeries in Chicago, none do what we think is classic. Perhaps, someday, you will provide a tutorial?

Anonymous: I made 2 more yesterday without a problem but I could think of a couple things that may help:1/ maybe your oven is not calibrated right (it happens after a couple of years of usage) and maybe adding a few minutes of baking would fix that.2/ the filling can look un-set when you take it out of the oven but will set up upon cooling.

Your photo is so delicious that I cooked it - and it really is delicious - thanks for sharing! You can see one of my versions here - not as good as yours though! - http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeimagesbyjill/5984243601/in/photostream

Thanks again for your inspiration and your fabulous book - from plate to pixels!

I made this, but the filling part did not come out quite right. Despite stiring in the cream it rose when baking anyway and the filling was a little "grainy". Perhaps that was because I used almond meal for the one cup of almonds, might that be too much since they were ground? Also, can you tell me what size/volume the pan you use in the picture is? I used a traditional fluted round tart pan, which did not turn out deep enough, but not sure how much bigger to go. the crust however turned out great. thanks for any suggestions!

I saw this tart yesterday and made it last night. We enjoyed it with my loved ones dad this afternoon after a busy day clearing out his shed. It was perfect for a sunny British afternoon. I will certainly look forward to browsing your other recipes. Thank you xx

I've been looking at this post for a loooongg time now, a year or two? Kept thinking it's hard to make. Finally got my courage up and made one. Forgot to add heavy cream, but still taste awesome! Only had to adjust the baking time to about 35 minutes plus 5 minutes in closed oven with the heat off on a 9-inch glass pie dish. Finished 2/3 of the pie in half a day between hubby & I. :PHelene, thank you for sharing a great recipe along with a great memory.

I made this tonight for dinner with my brother and sister in law and parents. We really enjoyed it. Loved the low sugar aspect of it. Some nice fresh summer apricots. Is there anything better than good food and family being together to enjoy it all?